In the hinge field it is often desirable to control the angular position of a first member which is rotatably coupled to a second member. Common applications of such a hinge include laptops having a display screen. Such a hinge may also be used in any application in which a display screen or other member is desirably rotated or otherwise moved among positions.
In a vehicle, for example, a display screen can be rotated and held in an angular position by torque generated between friction elements in a hinge and a shaft of the hinge. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,874, for example, many types of friction elements can be used, and friction torque can be generated on an outside surface of a shaft as well as on an inside surface of a shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,874 is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, including its disclosure of friction elements and friction torque generated on outside or inside surfaces of a shaft.
Despite the development of friction hinges such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,874, further improvements in friction hinges are desired to accomplish at least one of improved performance and reduced cost.